


you fill my lungs with sweetness (and my head, with you)

by adhoori



Series: evan buckley vs. 'verse [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 15:09:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18471481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adhoori/pseuds/adhoori
Summary: He must’ve dozed off because the next thing he feels is Eddie trailing his fingers through his hair.“Shit, how long has it been?”“Only a little bit, I just finished cleaning the kitchen,” Eddie says, softly, almost in a whisper to not wake Chris up.“Oh, I was gonna get to that,” he mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, careful not to jostle Christopher.“S’okay, you cooked, and besides, you guys looked so comfortable,” he shrugs. “C’mon, I got him, you can head to bed.”“Mm ‘kay, if you’re sure.” He lets Eddie lift Christopher up, who just snuffles and buries his face in Eddie’s neck.





	you fill my lungs with sweetness (and my head, with you)

**Author's Note:**

> This for me takes place after the previous fic but I guess if you're good at contextual clues it can probably be read as a standalone. Thank you for all the feedback on the other fic <3
> 
> Title is from Bloom by The Paper Kites.

Two months into their ~ _thing_ , the universe looks down on them and gives them _both_ the whole weekend off. Buck doesn’t know what to do with that much Eddie-time. The past two months have been great, he and Eddie have been taking it slow. Or maybe glacial is more like it. They’ve been on a handful of dates when work allows and when their shifts align with each other _and_ Christopher’s schedule. Buck is starting to realize that perhaps...adult relationships are…hard. They require effort. Effort he’s never put in before, except with Abby and that fizzled out pretty early. Still, it’s been great, even if a lot of their dinners have been at the fire station, in between calls and also with everyone else at the table.

He thinks he enjoys it, so far. It’s nice to have Eddie at work if a little distracting sometimes. Eddie works out frequently at work. Eddie has also been made aware of what caused Buck’s sexuality crisis and takes full advantage of it. Many times. Too many, if you ask him. (No one ever does.)

Some days are slow and Buck ends up being sous-chef to Bobby more times than he can count. He’s found cooking is something he enjoys, it’s complicated enough to keep him focused but not enough that he doesn’t have fun. He likes to think it’s become his and Bobby’s thing. They cook enough that everyone takes leftovers home, and if he’s flooded with warmth every time Eddie knocks his knees under the table and mouths an _it’s so good_ in the middle of wolfing down his lunch, well, no one has to know.

But. Two days off. He’s not ashamed to admit that he lies in bed for the better part of his Saturday morning, even though he’s up at the asscrack of dawn, having crashed ten hours ago. He makes a trip to the kitchen at some point but gets back into bed with a book. Eddie is spending the day with Christopher, just the two of them and he’s loathe to admit he’s…bored. Two chapters in, his phone buzzes with texts and swipes it open to see pictures from Eddie.

_Eddie: We’re out shopping because we both needed shit._

_Eddie: IMG4194.jpg_

_Eddie: IMG4195.jpg_

_Eddie: Ok pick. Brown/black shoes. Chris likes the black ones, you?_

_Buck: Hmm black_

_Buck: I have them in brown lol. They’re a good pair_

_Eddie: Okay, I’ll get those :)_

_Buck: Eddie…_

_Buck: Dare I say…_

_Eddie: No._

_Eddie: I know what you’re about to say and no._

_Buck: We’re solemates :))_

_Eddie: I’m rethinking this entire relationship._

_Buck: Oh? I was gonna ask if u and Chris wanted to come over for dinner (sleepover??!!) bc I’m making lasagna. I tried it with Bobby last week, but if ur RETHINKING_

_Eddie: I guess lasagna >>> your horrible sense of humor _

_Eddie: Also Chris loves it_

_Buck: I know, I had inside information_

_Eddie: …..do you mean that time I told you Chris likes lasagna_

_Buck: Can’t reveal my sources_

_Eddie: You’re so ridiculous. But yes to dinner and to sleepover <3 _

_Buck: Ok im home all day just come over whenever get wine if u want_

_Eddie: See you, I’ll text you when we leave_

He knows it’s still going to be a couple of hours before they get here so he gets through three more chapters before he starts getting stir-crazy and heads out for a run. The sun is shining down so it doesn’t take too long to break a sweat in this weather and he gets a few, leisurely paced miles in that leave him feeling pleasantly tired. It’s hot and sunny but there’s a nip in the air from the wind the way only L.A. has, and it leaves the sweat cooling on his forehead as he slips into a slow jog the closer he gets to his apartment.

He showers and putters around the apartment, tidying up a little. The place is still a little bare, but in his defense, he’s barely had any time. Maybe once it looks a little more lived in, he can invite the team for a housewarming of sorts. It sounds nice, he thinks. Buck wonders, briefly, if he should change out of his sweats and t-shirt but then decides against it given that he has to still assemble the lasagna. His phone chimes with a text from Eddie and it’s perfect timing, really. He moves to the kitchen, starts boiling the water and getting the pasta out and putting some music on. It doesn’t take too long, given that the sauce is made already. Bobby’s pro-tip about letting the sauce rest for a few hours was genius because it tasted so much better than this morning, and dare he say…..than last week at the station.

Buck assembles the lasagna before covering it with what looks like a frankly alarming amount of cheese but he’s learned to measure out cheese and chocolate from his heart. There’s no such thing as too much. It goes straight into the oven and he sets a timer before flopping down on the couch putting some TV on while he scrolls through his messages aimlessly and waits for Eddie and Christopher to get here.

A few minutes into his Instagram deep-dive of a recurring star on a tv show he’s seen two episodes of, the doorbell rings and he sets his phone aside to let them in. Buck opens the door to a smiling Eddie but stumbles a little before catching himself when Christopher runs face-first into his midsection, the air punching out of him with an _oof_. He laughs before hugging him back, “Is this for the lasagna?” he asks Eddie, who’s smiling down at his son.

“That and he the fact that he likes you might have something to do with it,” Eddie jokes. “I see what you’re doing, earning points with him.”

“Excuse me, I don’t need to earn any points, he loves me,” he jokes. He keeps a hand on Christopher’s back, supporting him while he steadies his braces.

Chris smiles toothily at them chiming in with “That’s true, dad,” before dissolving into giggles. Eddie brings a hand to his chest, mock-upset, which only makes Christopher laugh more. They make their way inside while Buck wills himself not to melt into a puddle of feelings. He was joking, but Christopher’s easy acceptance makes his heart feel two sizes bigger and he makes his way to the kitchen to check on the oven while Eddie and Christopher set things down and get comfortable.

“I see that there’s a dining table now,” Eddie says, as he walks into the kitchen a little bit later. Buck can hear the TV playing and he guesses Eddie put something on for Christopher.

Buck cranes his neck to hear him over the tap as he washes his hands. “Yeah, it finally arrived. I had to order an extra chair though, the table was higher than I thought and Chris isn’t tall enough yet so I got a taller chair and now it looks a little mismatched, but whatever.”

“You got a chair for Christopher?”

“Well, yeah,” he says, wiping his hands before making his way to Eddie who’s made himself comfortable on the countertop. “What? Do you not want him to sit at the table with us?”

He slots himself into the space between Eddie’s legs grinning at what can only be called _gooey_ expression on his boyfriend’s face. Boyfriend. Oof. Still not used to that, he thinks, before he finds himself melting into a toe-curling kiss. Still not used to that either, he thinks, while he rests his hands at Eddie’s waist. Eddie kisses like he does everything else, carefully and with a single-minded focus that melts his brain a little bit. They haven’t done much else on Eddie’s insistence about taking it slow, which okay, given that he was the only one with any experience, Buck had agreed and is grateful for. Except for times like this that make it hard to think about anything else other than _more_.  

Eddie pulls back looking flushed but smiling and Buck huffs out a laugh, “Hi.”

“Hi, Buck.”

“So like, me doing stuff for Chris really gets you going, huh?”

It makes Eddie throw his head back in laughter before he kisses the corner of Buck’s mouth. Eddie murmurs “Asshole,” against his lips, but it sounds so fond that it only makes him smile wider.

“I’m right, though,” he winks, stepping back to get the plates out, while Eddie busies himself with opening the wine, still smiling. There are only a few minutes left on the timer, and Buck accepts the wine glass handed to him before leaning against the counter.

“Why are we in here?”

“Uh, so that we don’t scar my son? He doesn’t need to see that,” Eddie jokes, taking a sip of his wine. “D’you like the wine?”

“I do, and shut up, I just meant why we’re not out there with him,” he says, casting a sideways glance at where Christopher is intently watching a movie.

“Oh. He’s watching Harry Potter, I only let him watch like, forty minutes this morning because we had to leave and he’s so tired from the walking and the people that he’s probably just going to pass out after dinner, so I got him comfortable. Besides, I wanted to catch up with you.”

“Oh is that what people your age call it? _Catching up?_ ”

“Fuck you, I’m not that much older,” Eddie says, grinning around the rim of his glass.

“I mean…we could,” he says before taking a larger than strictly necessary sip of his wine, his face flushing. He looks at Eddie who has a bit of a caught-in-the-headlights look on his face and “Oh god, not like, _today_.”

“OH, _oh_. Okay, yeah.”

“Just like- you know, sometime in the near future,” he mumbles. He thinks it says something about his and Hen’s friendship that he can practically _hear_ her laughter at his ineptitude to do literally anything smoothly.

“Are you embarrassed?”

Buck looks at Eddie who’s smiling fondly at him so he definitely didn’t completely mess this up and it makes him smile, albeit a little self-deprecatingly. “A little bit! It’s so dumb, I’m so stupid about this stuff, when like, I’ve had _so much sex_.”

Eddie snorts but tugs him closer. “Oh I’ve heard about your sex-addict ways,” he jokes. Buck rolls his eyes but sets his wine glass aside and lets himself be pulled. “Okay but, jokes apart, there’s no rush, Buck. You know that, right?”

He looks at Eddie who looks earnest and serious and it makes him _feel things_. “Yeah, I know. Stop being so smart and sensible about everything, it’s annoying.” Deflection. Deflection is a good plan. As opposed to blurting out something stupid like _I love you_ like he’s stupidly close to doing.

“It’s a burden I have to carry,” Eddie says, all mock-serious.

Before he can say anything to that, the timer goes off and they occupy themselves in setting the table while the lasagna rests. Eddie leaves the kitchen, presumably to get Christopher while Buck uses the moment to internally scream _I guess I love him?!?!?!??!_ because _where the fuck did that come from_. He channels his inner Hen and makes himself pause and think. Christopher is involved so he should be careful. And think his feelings through before saying something. Yes, okay, good. That’s a plan he can get behind.

He brings the food out and Eddie goes back to get their drinks and some juice for Christopher.

“Mm that smells so good, Buck,” Eddie says, sitting down. Christopher nods and Buck smiles, feeling pleased.

Dinner is more or less quiet, except when Buck asks Christopher about the shopping he did. He listens to Christopher stumble over words in his excitement and thinks that he could get used to this, that it makes him decidedly happy to sit around the table listening to him talk, Eddie filling in the gaps.

“That sounds like so much fun,” he says, smiling at Chris when he’s finished.

“You should come, next time. Dad, can Buck come with us next time? Please?”

“Of course he can, bud. Guess you’re coming with, next time,” he adds, looking at Buck.

“Guess so,” he murmurs, too happy to care about the dumb smile he’s probably sporting.

Eddie loads the dishwasher after dinner, and Buck lets himself be dragged by Christopher into watching some Harry Potter with Chris curled up into his side. He loves kids, he’s always loved them, but there’s something to be said about how his heart feels like its too big for his body when Christopher’s downy hair tickles his neck. He runs his fingers through it to keep it down and wriggles to make himself more comfortable on the couch as he presses play on the movie.

They only end up watching up until a quidditch match when Buck feels Christopher’s head droop against his shoulder, and sure enough, when he looks down, Chris is asleep, one arm wrapped around Buck. He lets the movie play, settling into a half-asleep state, stomach full and the apartment just warm enough.

He must’ve dozed off because the next thing he feels is Eddie trailing his fingers through his hair.

“Shit, how long has it been?”

“Only a little bit, I just finished cleaning the kitchen,” Eddie says, softly, almost in a whisper to not wake Chris up.

“Oh, I was gonna get to that,” he mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, careful not to jostle Christopher.

“S’okay, you cooked, and besides, you guys looked so comfortable,” he shrugs. “C’mon, I got him, you can head to bed.”

“Mm ‘kay, if you’re sure.” He lets Eddie lift Christopher up, who just snuffles and buries his face in Eddie’s neck. It’s cute as fuck and presses his lips to Chris’s forehead before moving around Eddie to pull out the couch so it’s more of a bed.

“He’ll be okay on the couch, right? I don’t wanna fuck up his back,” he murmurs.

“He’s gonna be just fine. Stop worrying, sweetheart.”

Buck rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, something cracking open in his chest at the nickname. “Yeah, okay.”

He heads to his bedroom and gets rid of the sweats, making quick work of his nightly routine, too sleepy to care, and before long he’s curled up in bed, waiting for Eddie.

He doesn’t have to wait long, or so he thinks, he’s not sure; he drifts in and out of sleep until Eddie joins him. Buck turns to face him, carding a finger through Eddie’s hair, smiling when Eddie leans his face into it.

“Chris asleep?”

“Mm yeah.”

It’s quiet for a bit, until Eddie says, “I found Abby’s postcard,” apropos of nothing.

“Yeah, I got it last night, isn’t it beautiful there?”

“It is. D’you miss her?” Eddie asks, and it’s so soft he almost misses it.

Buck opens his eyes more fully to look at him. “Not like...I’m in love with her if that’s-”

“Oh! No, god, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to imply- you don’t talk too much about her so I just-”

He huffs out a relieved laugh. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. It’s not really a sore topic, she’s just not that big a part of my life anymore, y’know?”

“Still, sorry. I was just-curious, I guess.”

He looks at Eddie, his cheeks are dusted pink and he still looks embarrassed so Buck shuffles closer still, to press a fleeting kiss to the corner of his mouth. “It’s okay, really. And I do, a little? We were really good friends before everything, and we’re working our way back to it, I guess, with like, the occasional text or postcard.”

“S’nice, I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah me too. She taught me a lot,” he continues in a hushed voice. They’re mostly under covers and it’s not like the noise is going to carry outside, but it feels like they’re in a bit of a bubble; soft, private. “Before Abby, I felt like I always had to like, be _on_ ? Like, if I wasn’t working, I was out hooking up, or just going somewhere, just like, constantly _on_. Does that make sense?”

Eddie nods, looking drowsy, but listening, and Buck goes back to carding his fingers through his hair. Eddie smiles, biting back a yawn. “That feels nice.”

“Okay,” he says, smiling. “But yeah, she kinda taught me, among other things, to just wind the fuck down, I think. Just to sort of, chill out and have a conversation sometimes, slow down a little. And I think I brought her out of her bubble in some ways, so it was nice.”

“She sounds nice.”

And with anyone else Buck might think it was disingenuous, but Eddie just looks sleep-warm and happy, and shit, maybe adult relationships have their perks. “She was. I think you’d like her. I miss her in some ways, not in others. I like this,” he says, watching a smile make its way across Eddie’s face. “I like you.”

“Yeah, I think you’re alright too.”

“Wow, okay, rude,” he says, but they’re smiling into a kiss, so he’s not too mad about it.

“You got anywhere to be tomorrow?”

“Nope,” Eddie says, eyes closed.

“Yesss,” he murmurs. “No alarms. Amazing.”

“Mm yeah, the best. Now sleep.”

And so they do.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought! :)
> 
> I have a [tumblr](http://www.hasan-minhaj.tumblr.com) if you're into that!


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